Colored contact lenses have been used to modify or enhance the color of a wearer's eyes. In general, there are two types of colored contact lenses. The first are contact lenses which use essentially transparent enhancement colors that allow the color of the natural iris to show through but combine with that natural color to produce a new appearance. Such tinted lenses are typically used to enhance or augment the appearance of a lightly colored eye. This class of colored lenses may not be able to change an underlying dark colored , brown iris to blue. The second category is the class of opaque colored lenses having a continuous opaque pattern that fully covers the iris or having an intermittent opaque pattern that does not fully cover the iris. Opaque colored contact lenses can effectively and substantially modify the wearer's eye color.
Some cosmetic lens wearers prefer a colored contact lens that provides a natural appearance while improving and/or modifying the color of the iris or its texture. The appearance of an iris is relatively complex, showing multiple colors and textures (see, for example, Jahnke, U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,477). The appearance of the natural iris is not a simple solid color, but a structure comprising many lines and different colors. For these wearers, the more natural their eyes appear with the lens, the more appealing they find the cosmetic effect of the lens. Over the years many attempts have been made to produce an opaque lens with a natural appearance (see, for example, U.S. Pat. No. 3,536,386 to Spivak; U.S. Pat. No. 3,679,504 to Wichterle; U.S. Pat. No. 3,712,718 to LeGrand, U.S. Pat. No. 4,460,523 to Neefe, U.S. Pat. No. 4,719,657 to Bawa, U.S. Pat. No. 4,744,647 to Meshel, et al., U.S. Pat. No. 4,634,449 to Jenkins; U.S. Pat. No. 4,582,402 to Knapp; U.S. Pat. No. 5,414,477 to Jahnke; U.S. Pat. No. 5,120,121 to Rawlings; U.S. Pat. No. 5,793,466 to Moncada; EP Publication No. 0 309 154; European Patent No. 0 472 496 A2; and U.K. Patent Application No. 2 202 540 A).
Opaque colored contact lenses, which can provide a natural appearance, are generally produced by printing an ink-containing pigment (or pigments) to the surface of the lens. This can be done by printing the ink directly on the surface of the lens, or on a casting cup which then transfers the printing to the lens. These pigments are conventional pigments that absorb and reflect light to give a cosmetic effect. Texture, for instance, is achieved by choosing the pattern(s) in which the ink is applied to the lens surface, and the number of ink colors applied. However, pigments used for producing current opaque contact lenses have limited or no characteristics other than direct absorption or reflection of light. These lenses can not provide cosmetic effects that may have appeal such as a perception of depth, and unusual textural effects.
U.S. Pat. No. 6,196,683 to Quinn and Atkins discloses pearlescent contact lenses that give the cosmetic effects that many consumers may want, and attempting to achieve cosmetic effects that may have appeal such as a perception of depth, and unusual textural effects. However, the Quinn and Atkins patent does not disclose or suggest a contact lens designed for giving the wearer's eyes both a natural appearance and a more lively or vivacious appearance, which some consumers may want.